1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for constraining the position of logs on a truck or trailer using permanent fixed stakes, head boards and tail boards, thus eliminating the need for safety wrapper chains.
2. Description of the Background Art
The hauling of logs on trucks or trailers is regulated closely by state and federal regulations to assure safety in the transportation of logs. A typical truck or trailer has fixed or movable stakes that constrain the logs on the truck or trailer. These stakes are placed inside a bunk pocket. The bunk pockets are secured to a bunk which is a member that passes under the truck or trailer bed and supports the bunk pocket into which the stakes are placed. Once the logs are placed on the trailer inside the stakes, a safety wrapper chain or strap is added to further secure the logs to the truck or trailer bed in compliance with transportation regulations. The wrapper chains or straps are necessary to secure the logs and keep them from moving front to back or back to front as the truck or trailer moves.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,977,717 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,977,695 show stakes which are designed to be easily removable. Further the stakes in U.S. Pat. No. 3,977,695 can be latch released to allow logs to roll off a truck or trailer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,286 show stakes which are designed specifically to be automatically extended.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,174,118 describes a pivoting bunk mounted on a plastic disc. This design focuses on bunks that pivot or rotate to accommodate the turns that may be made as a truck or trailer rounds a corner.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,268,051 shows bunks and stakes which are not fixed elements. The stakes have roller inserts which can be welded into a cross frame of a log trailer to provide low friction to a pivoted log bunk.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,003,585 details a cable and spooling device that holds up or supports bunk stakes and can be released with a trip lever and the cable is then spooled into a storage area.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,280,712 details an articulation system for trucks and trailers which allows the truck and trailer to pivot in the center.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,712 details a carriage system that is not part of a truck or trailer. The carriage or apparatus is first loaded, then a truck is backed under the load and the load is released to the bed of the truck.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,993,126 also details a pivoting bunk with stakes so that long loads can follow the trailer when the vehicle rounds corners.
There is a need in the art for a system which makes it possible for logs to be hauled without the addition of safety wrapper chains or straps to secure the load.
The present invention fulfills the aforementioned need in the art by providing a system configuration for constraining logs to be hauled on a truck or trailer without the use of safety wrapper chains or straps to secure the load. Stakes, bunks, bunk pockets, a head board and a tail board are used to constrain logs on the bed of the truck or trailer.
The stakes in the present invention constrain the logs movement from side to side on the truck or trailer. The stakes are made of lightweight hardened aluminum and are formed using an extrusion process that produces an internal web member that adds additional strength. The stakes are designed to be fixed in a bunk pocket and are not typically removed when the logs are unloaded. The stakes in the present invention are not automatically extendible.
The bunks in the present invention are fixed in position and do not contain roller inserts, and do not move in any way as they are welded into the frame of the truck or trailer bed. In this invention, the bunks and the bunk pockets are assembled from a series of steel or other ferrous or nonferrous materials and are welded together. In this novel system configuration, the stakes and bunks are fixed parts of the trailer and therefore do not need to move as the truck rounds corners.
The head board and tail board constrain the logs movement from front to back on the truck or trailer. The head board and tail board are permanently attached to stakes which are correspondingly inserted into pockets welded into the bed of the trailer or truck and may be permanently fixed in the pockets. The head board and the tail board are comprised of a series of horizontal and vertical members surrounded by an exterior frame and are also made of lightweight hardened aluminum or other lightweight composite materials. Anti-wear plastic or other anti-wear materials or compositions are placed between aluminum and steel members to avoid excessive wear on the aluminum or other ferrous or nonferrous stakes. The head board, tail board and stakes, being made of lightweight aluminum or other ferrous or nonferrous materials, reduce overall vehicle weight, thereby increasing the weight of the load that can be carried.
The use of cables to support bunk stakes is unnecessary in this invention due to the materials and method of securing them to the bunk.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.